Innovate: Vermont business briefs for week of Jan. 31

Jan. 30, 2013

IBM energy program exceeds goals for Vermont Tech

An IBM program to reduce electricity consumption at Vermont Technical College in Randolph exceeded its goals, lowering usage by 6.6 percent over the past year, resulting in savings of $40,000. The goals of the program were to reduce usage by 5 percent and save the college $31,000.

The program involved more than 30 efficiency projects, as well as the development of an energy sustainability database that tracks ideas from generation to completion. IBM expects the database to become a model for educational institutions nationwide.

“With the help of IBM, we have realized amazing reductions in a very short time frame,” said Jay Peterson, executive director of Strategtic College Operations at Vermont Tech.

Peterson said the program was awarded the 2012 Most Valuable Pollution Prevention Award by the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable.

Champlain Housing Trust recognizes community leaders

The Champlain Housing Trust presented four community leaders with awards at its annual meeting last weekend, and also elected members of the board of directors and recognized six longtime staff.

Brian Pine, the city of Burlington’s housing director, was presented with the Tim McKenzie Award for Outstanding Contributions to Perpetual Affordability, the Housing Trust’s oldest award, named after the organization’s founding director.

Judy Smith of Union Bank received the Carole Pack Volunteer of the Year Award; board member Sarah Muyskens earned the Hilton Wick “Give Until it Hurts” Volunteer fund raising award; and Joan Beauchemin was the first recipient of the Joan Beauchemin Award for Resident Civic Engagement.

John Emmaeus Davis, Joe Reinert and Tim Gutchell were elected to the board as general members; Al Voegele and Carina Driscoll were elected as public members; and Willie Pearson, Frank Lenti and Jess Wilson were elected as resident members.

Vermont Mutual Insurance Group announced it achieved a 34 percent reduction in its use of thermal fuels at its Montpelier headquarters, avoiding putting approximately 90,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Vermont Mutual achieved the savings, with purchasing any capital hardware, with the help of Kilawatt Technologies Inc., which provides a statistically based energy and environmental management program using continuous analysis of energy and interior environmental data for commercial, multi-family and industrial buildings.

Vermont Mutual also used about 13 percent less electricity for the year, according to Efficiency Vermont.

Deadline approaching for farm/food competition

The deadline is Feb. 5 for registration in the 2013 Vermont Farm/Food Business Plan Competition, which offers $60,000 in prizes for both new and existing businesses with innovative ideas, along with student enterprise plans.

The competition is a collaboration of Vermont Technical College and Strolling of the Heifers to encourage farm, food and forestry business development throughout Vermont. All entries must involve some aspect of farming, forestry, food processing, food distribution, food packaging or food retailing (including restaurants).

To enter, register at www.strollingoftheheifers.com (event registration menu tab). The site also includes full information and rules for the contest.

Entrepreneurs to be celebrated in Montpelier

A celebration of National Entrepreneurship Week is coming Feb. 7 to the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and will feature an announcement of the winners of the annual high school visual media competition.

Motivational speaker Colin Ryan will speak at 10 a.m., followed by Gov. Peter Shumlin’s proclamation of Vermont Entrepreneurship Week and recognition for the winners from high schools and technical centers across the state for their digital posters and videos on the theme of “Building Entrepreneurship in our Schools.”

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Students, legislators, state and local service providers and entrepreneurs will share business roundtable discussions over lunch, followed by a question-and-answer session for adult entrepreneurs.

Internet company sending two startups to San Francisco festival

Dyn, a provider of Internet Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) based in Manchester, N.H. has announced a contest that will send two New England-based startups to LAUNCH Festival in San Francisco, March 4-6. LAUNCH is recognized as the premier networking event for startups.

Any New England-based startup with annual revenue under $5 million can participate in the contest by creating a three to five minute video telling their story, and explaining why they should go to LAUNCH. Submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Feb. 10 via either Twitter (#DynLaunch and @DynInc).

One grand prize winner will receive two tickets to the LAUNCH Festival; airfare and accommodations for two in San Francisco; dinner in Boston with Dyn CEO Jeremy Hitchcock and CRO Kyle York; one year of Dyn Email Delivery and DNS services; 30 minute meeting with Jason Celacanis, founder of LAUNCH.

One runner-up will receive two tickets to the LAUNCH Festival, airfare and accommodations for two in San Francisco, a Boston dinner with Hitchcock and York; and a tour of Dyn’s Manchester, N.H. headquarters.

Research shows Vermonters are big savers

ING U.S. has released new research that found Vermont was among the top 10 states for retirement savings. Residents of Vermont have saved, on average, 4.35 times their annual household income for retirement, which is above the national average of 2.42 times annual household income.

The research is based on ING’s CompareMe tool (INGCompareMe.com) which allows users to compare themselves to others on a wide range of savings, spending, investing, debt and personal finance matters. Using data from this tool, ING also developed the ING “State of Savings” interactive map, which provides a state-by-state scan and ranking of how Americans say they are saving across the country.